SevenSkalls

I watched the Andor Season 1 Recap in anticipation of my season 2 watch (I'm only on episode 3 so no spoilers yet) and I've felt more hope than I have in a bit. Maybe it makes me a lib, but the lines from the manifesto especially felt poignant at this point in time.

The combination of those lines about thousands are joining battalions without realizing it, and the protests and LA fight back against ICE, idk, it's helped offset some doomer I've felt lately. I can't wait to finish this show.

I don't know if they're scared of Zionist counter protestors, or the state cracking down and arresting people, me losing my job, or what. Tbh, those are all fair reasons to be nervous, but I can't just keep reading about stuff without doing something. I know protests don't do a lot, but I feel like I should do something to start coalition building, organizing, and doing stuff on the streets with actual real life people. And I feel like I have to for all the people who can't for other reasons (social anxiety, disabilities, work schedules, etc).

On the other hand, we have a lot of debt, and I have a job that relies on government funds, plus I'm not the biggest guy, so I understand why she's scared. But I doubt anything will happen and I'll take precautions (leave phone in car, maybe wear a mask). Anyone got advice on how to navigate a relationship situation like this?

Ben Cohen was one of seven people who were arrested at the hearing held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the spokesperson said.

...

Moments later, Cohen rose to his feet and accused Congress of playing a role in the deaths of children in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Nice. Someone get Ben to join PSL.

I don't really have a specific question, I'm just wondering how Laos is. Do people have any thoughts, interesting facts, or information about it?

So the context is that I've been doing a re-watch of King of the Hill, where Hank's neighbor is Laotian, at the same time I've been listening to the latest season of Blowback, which is about the area formerly known as French Indochina, but more specifically Cambodia and Vietnam. They don't really talk about Laos much, which makes sense.

In King of the Hill though, there's a couple references to a communist dictatorship in Laos. I just finished an episode where a former guerilla veteran is trying to recruit Laotians in the US to go back and fight this government. One of the funny parts to me, is that whether that government is bad, or good but poor as a result of historical conditions, I see Kahn as the kind of person who would be wooed away to the USA with Hollywood images of the American Dream. He seems to work hard, but is obsessed with status, success, and commodities. Anyway, it's not a political show, so combined with that Blowback season, it's just enough information to get me curious lol.

I could review Wikipedia but it tends to be biased against communist nations, and I'd rather supplement boring scrolling of articles with interesting conversations. Especially since it's in the same general area as one of the most based communist parties I've studied so far (in Vietnam) and probably the worst one I've studied so far (the Khmer Rouge).

I got to the part of the Revolutions podcast where the royal family died. He said the consensus is that Moscow ordered the death of the whole family. Is that pretty much agreed on by serious historians nowadays or is that Cold War historiagraphy?

It seemed kind of split when I looked in some Ask Historians thread on Reddit from years ago, but I also might just be seeing what I want to see. What do historians think? What do you think? If Lenin and company in Moscow ordered it, why?

Looking for a way to get into Lynch's work. I know, a little late, but I feel like I'm missing out on something with all the condolences going out today. I've heard good things about Twin Peaks? Does it still hold up?

What about his movies? I've heard great things about Mulholland Drive, although I was very confused when I got halfway through.

Are there other works that are better to start with or just that people generally recommend as being good?

North Korea wants to ban corn dogs because of western decadence or something?! That's horrible!

Let's check out the sources.

According to reports, Kim has banned North Koreans from eating hotdogs as part of a crackdown on Western culture slowly oozing its way into the hermit nation.

"Reports". Well, not super convincing so far...

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), North Korea has also banned steamed rice cakes tteokbokki which is a popular street food in South Korea.

Oh hey, there we go, Radio Free Asia! What a great unbiased source/CIA front propaganda operation. Aren't they the same people who said something like everyone in NK has to have their leader's haircut? Or was forbidden to have his haircut? I think they said leather jackets were banned there once? Or that someone was executed for smuggling in Squid Game?

Food isn’t the only thing the hermit nation is cracking down on. Reports emerged in December that claim people who get divorced in North Korea are facing one to six months in labour camps for their “crimes”.

More "Reports".

According to RFA, a divorced woman claimed she served three months of labour and said that women receive harsher sentences than the men.

So ya, it's basically just RFA.

Beautiful.

I know it's a little late this holiday season to ask this question but as a lover of the holidays, I'm curious what others think. I usually watch the schmaltsy, cutesie ones I watched as a kid, like The Muppet Christmas Carol or Mickey's Christmas Carol.

But it means I haven't watched the other dramatic (or possibly horror, considering the ghostly subject matter) retellings of the story as much.

Which adaptations of A Christmas Carol is your favorite?

Recently, someone told me the new Absolute Superman was more of a working-class hero, which like a movie flashback triggered an old memory of being recommended Superman: Red Son, a comic which I've still never read but I remember was highly regarded. Of course, I have a feeling I should've read it then, way before I had any communist leanings, and now I'd only see all the American brain worms in it lol.

But I've also heard it's a nuanced take on Superman and communism, so I'm wondering what do people here think? Is it still worth reading in this day and age with my current political readings?

For those not familiar, Superman: Red Son is about Superman landing in the USSR instead of Kansas. I tried an internet search for what actual communists think of it and couldn't find any such opinions, so I'm asking here.

Someone in Lemmy.world is constantly posting pro-Milei propaganda, but I find it hard to believe this is the one time in the world Libertarian policies actually work after we've tried it before and it's backfired every time. Not sure if this is the right community, but I could use some counter propaganda help.

Can anyone explain what's happening in Argentina? Are things improving? Is he actually a secret genius? If not, why? If so, is it because of their economic policies or something else?

Some excerpts from the comments (seems to be two guys who love him in there) that sound convincing as someone who doesn't know enough about their economy:

After a 49% poverty left by the previous government. So a tick of 4% after that is almost nothing

People voted him for a reason

Argentina only has 32% inflation, what a success! Indeed, from 211% annual inflation to 107%? Astonishing success

It's 2.7% a month, which puts the inflation at 32%. And that's still the lowest it's been since 2021.

What's some books with an interesting vision of the future? I don't just mean more advanced technology, I mean the way it's organized.

I find often people can't envision past the society we have now. There's that quote, "It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism", and it seems more and more true, but sci-fi authors seem best equipped to actually imagine beyond that.

I've heard some sci-fi authors mentioned in this category before, like Heinlen, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.

I haven't read any of them lol. Would have no idea where to start within them that fits this category, or what other choices there are that people would suggest.

I think that was his name. He just popped up on my YouTube recommended videos with an hour long video replying to a Hakim video about Ukraine. Not sure if it's countering or adding onto.

The only people who pop up on my recommended list tend to be pretty cool because my algorithm has got me pretty figured out (it's how I discovered Hakim and other leftist video essayists in the first place, and recently revolutionaryth0t who I think has good potential), so normally I'd just give him a chance but that's a long video to watch for a new content creator, and if he sucks I don't want to discover by going through all his videos in case the algorithm thinks that means I like him lol.

Has the algorithm kept up its good streak or messed up this time? I don't mind watching if he's a lib, as long as he has more good takes than bad takes, or is otherwise educating and entertaining enough (like I'd categorize Wisecrack or Some More News, or lots of non-political channels).